Dark Cloud - Mother Earth Brewing

TWM

3.94/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not terribly familiar with the "Dunkel Lager" style of beer, so am just writing how I found the beer as opposed to a comparison to expectations.

I didn't know what to expect when I got this; I bought it because it's a local brewery but the beer isn't my favorite porter/stout/dark ale type. In fact, I tend to avoid lagers. This one surprised me very pleasantly.

Overall, what made me happy is that it has the rich tones of a dark ale while maintaining the lighter, "crisper" notes of a lager. The appearance was a nice color and a small head, minor lacing.

Smell was not much. For some reason I smelled a lot more sweetness than I tasted.

Taste was excellent- and I'm not even qualifying it as "for a type of beer I don't generally like." It's good, full stop. The malt was delicately roasted, and blended with the hops. None of the flavors were powerful; this is not a strongly flavored beer, but rather a well balanced, more moderate blend of flavors. Definite caramel tones, lightly bitter that was just perfect to balance out the malt. A nice mouthfeel, not syrupy or watery.

Really like this one, and will keep it in mind next time I am in the mood for something other than the usual.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:40:08 | More by TWM

DesertRat

North Carolina

4.49/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours dark amber into a pint glass beautiful color. Smells much richer than a premium lager, but drinks extremely smooth with a full flavored finish.

The bottle I had was a fresh bottle as I got it in NC where Mother Earth brewery is located.

I had never had a dunkel lager before as they are more popular in Germany from what I understand. This seems like a good alternative for those of us who enjoy stouts and porters but end up feeling full after a few. I feel like this beer could be consumed all day.

Very interested in trying out more beers from Mother Earth.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 16:26:51 | More by DesertRat

srandycarter

California

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Amber to brown, Near white head, some cling lace.

S - Almost smoky malt, hops wrap around it nicely.

T - Clean, pure malt with just the right amount of hop backing.

M - Light to medium body, good carb, good balance.

D - A little dull for me, but a nice session.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 06:38:25 | More by srandycarter

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber in color with some garnet red highlights and very light gentle carbonation near the surface of the beer. The beer has a finger tall creamy dark beige head that reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer evenly. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of toasted bready malts, some light amounts of chocolate, and some notes of nuts.

T: Moderate flavors of toasted bready malts with a hint of brown bread plus some much lighter notes of chocolate and nuttiness. There are light amounts of earthy hops that contribute a light amount of bitterness in the finish which fades quickly.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: I was pleasantly surprised to find this excellent example of a Munich Dunkel Lager being produced by a small brewery in Eastern NC - not one of the more common styles for American craft breweries. This was a delicious beer and one I was very happy to drink - it is sessionable and I would be happy to have another of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 18:04:12 | More by dbrauneis

RWLawman

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -14%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Very dark brownish red. You get the red if you hold it up to the light.

S - Mostly malts, chocolate, and dark fruit.

T - Roasted malts, a hint of chocolate, and dark fruit along with something bready.

M - Medium-bodied beer with some sticky coating as well. Easy to drink though.

O - Pretty good beer, but nothing to flip out about. Maybe this beer just isn't my style, because this is the second I've had of this type that wasn't memorable. Enjoyable, nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:55:04 | More by RWLawman

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, chocolaty-hued body with a moderate-sized, faint khaki-colored head. Slim lacing on the drop.

Smell: Solidly malty nose, though not overly effusive, with notes of darkened bread crusts, dark brown sugar, mild chocolate, milk chocolate, and nuts. Near nil fruitiness, very low hop accents.

Taste: Bread crusts, brown sugar, little hints of coffee, chocolate with a decent degree of sweetness. Very faint dark fruitiness. Light hop character, bitterness. Drying, malty finish with a carbonic pinch to it and a lingering nuttiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation. Slightly dextrinous in the mouthfeel beyond the crisp suds.

Overall: Easy drinking and highly approachable, it's a solid dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 22:53:43 | More by ChainGangGuy

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Hannen Alt glass on 10/13/12

Deep tobacco brown in color. Rust and copper highlights. One finger head thins quickly to a smooth layer of foam. Pretty good rings and drippy lace.

The aroma is simple but smells pretty good: roasted dark grains with a touch of coffee roast and hints of bread dough. The taste is in the same vein, but ramped up a tad in robustness and, in turn, the enjoyment factor. A good amount of dry roast, but not at all bitter. Cereal grains. Very low hops. Maybe a dusting of cocoa. The body is a medium-light with moderately low carbonation. The feel is thoughtful and is a great vehicle for the flavors.

Overall, this is pretty good. I would certainly drink it from time to time if I could.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:27:57 | More by Ryan011235

ExMachina1

Tennessee

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

UPDATE (6/18/2012): Back on my annual pilgrimage to NC, I picked up a six pack of this beer after having fallen in love with it two years ago. Unfortunately my experience with this beer last summer was not positive (see below). Fortunately, whatever was plaguing the batch that I sampled last year is no longer a concern, and this beer is back to its old, delicious self.

The beer I'm drinking now has a bottling date: 03/20/12.

---
Previous Review from 6/27/2011

Bottling Date: 03/01/11

This is the second six pack from this batch (bought in two different stores on opposite side of the state) and there is definitely something wrong here.

I first sampled this beer last year and it was superlative. One of the best dunkel I have ever tried. However, this batch is a different story...both samples of this batch smell vaguely phenolic (rubber and clove) and are in this way reminiscent of a hefeweizen. This is definitely not the clean lager that I had last year!

It is also sweeter and more full bodied that a dunkel should be. I could even call it "filling"--this too is all wrong for what should be an easy-drinking style of beer.

I can only speculate that Mother Earth Brewing has some yeast contamination problems to work out. And I hope that they take this problem seriously--the "real" Dark Cloud Dunkel is outstanding.

EDIT: High marks to Mother Earth for contacting me personally expressing their concern. This brewery is not only making good beer but seems committed to making their good beer, BETTER. I'm looking forward to writing another review of another batch of this beer
---

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 19:10:44 | More by ExMachina1

busterwhite

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a brown/ dark copper color with a 2 finger head that dissipatned quickly. A small amount of lacing on the glass.

Smells of sweet malt, a little spice and yeast.

Tastes of roasted malt, a little sweetness and spice. Just enough bitterness to balance things out on the finish.

Mouthfeel is light, carbonation is good.

First time drinking a dunkel lager, this is a smooth and easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 20:45:53 | More by busterwhite

krausenman

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer on-tap served in a pint glass at the Mellow Mushroom in Fayetteville NC.

A-The beer was dark brown to garnet with no visible haze.

S-Chocolate and nutty-like graham craker aromas were predominant with little to no hop aroma.

T-Initially, the beer taste of roast and chocolate malt. Moderate to lower hopping levels balance a mild malt sweetness that is accented with a slight graininess in the background.

M-The moderate carbonation and lighter body made for a lighter to moderate mouthfeel.

O-Overall, this was an enjoyable session beer that can be enjoyed in quanity. The beer was fresh and free of defects.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2012 01:24:41 | More by krausenman

SLeffler27

New York

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A foamy, one-inch, almond head slowly drops concentric rings of creamy lace over an old copper-penny beer with maroon highlights.

Sweet brown sugar and roasted cashews feature well with lots of malt and rich, fresh, wheat bread.

Just like the aroma, this one has caramel malt up front and the sweetness is well under control. There is a light bitterness in the short finish. Wheat bread comes out with warming as does toffee.

A light, crisp body that is clean with soft carbonation and no alcohol.

This is a highly sessionable beer, even if the alcohol is a bit high. There is lots of flavor though none are overpowering. This one is worth taking time to enjoy as it progresses nicely with warmth, especially if consumed from a pilsner glass.

These folks seem to take real pride in their beer, all the way from the label art through to the clean flavors and tight adherence to style.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:25:51 | More by SLeffler27

lackenhauser

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice chestnut color. Off white somewhat tan head on top. Caramel sweet and nutty aroma. Very solid maly flavor upfront with a nice hop presence. Hop bite is even right thru the finish. Nice balance of malt to really even the whole thing out. Solid mouthfeel. Very strong example of a dunkel in my book. I look forward to trying other beers from these folks.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 01:44:42 | More by lackenhauser

JayQue

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a couple of bottles with dinner at the Bayou Smokehouse and Grill at Banner Elk NC. Nice take on the style from Mother Earth brewing. Pours a clear brown color with a fairly nice size off white head. Good retention and lacing. Would have ben even better without the frosted beer glass.

Aroma is fairly good, mostly roasted malt.

Good solid flavor. Roasted malt slight grassy hops bitterness and a hint of chocolate.

Mouthfeel is fairly light as befits a lager. Nice and crisp...refreshing, an excellent complement for food. Stood up nicely to the humungoid brisket nachos and barbeque platter I ordered.

An excellent accompanyment for food or slightly higher than average abv as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 01:51:10 | More by JayQue

KajII

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Dimpled Mug]

The pour was a clear medium brown with a enormous (4+ finger) light tan frothy head that lasted throughout and had some excellent spotty sheets of lace.

The aroma was of a roasted dark bread malt, a pine hop and a musty yeast with notes of chocolate, coffee, toffee and dark fruit (raisins and prunes).

The taste was nice and malty with a touch of toffee sweetness and a hint of chocolate from the beginning then proceeded to become mildly bitter and hoppy with a note of coffee and just a light presence of dark fruit towards the end. The flavor lasted a decent while after the swallow with a nice roasty hoppiness left lingering on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was a shade or two under medium in body with a nice dry texture and an almost fizzy carbonation.

Overall an impressive roasty brew. Sweet, bitter and quite malty, it had it all going on...

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 14:33:48 | More by KajII

tastybeer

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer is oaky brown with 3/4" orange tinted white head, hazy with a slight ruby glow. A pretty beer. Aroma is lightly sweet...kind of straight up dunkel smell. Malty chocolate, earthy hops, some lemon perhaps. Taste matches with a bit of tartness. Bitterness has a solid presence but is not overwhelming. This beer does get better as it warms up which frequently is the case with most beers I like, though not always with layers. Body is medium-light and this goes down very easy.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2012 22:25:40 | More by tastybeer

snatch210

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a translucent garnet -- lovely.

More malty sweetness to the smell than I expected, but in a pleasant way. Otherwise, the slightly roasted tones of the style.

Taste is rich and well-balanced. Roasted malt up front, with, again, a bit more sweetness than expected (maple? raisins?) and just a tinge of ester. Tiniest bit of spice at the end.

Feel is smooth -- just heavy enough to be satisfying, but light enough to make it very sessionable.

Overall, nothing Earth-shattering, but very well executed. Like a great 12-bar blues.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 01:37:41 | More by snatch210

VaterRoss

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into Ommegang BPA glass, Bottled 111(?)

Pours a not clear dark brown, definitely unfiltered, with a tan head. Smell is decidedly chocolatey with some lightly roasted malt and dryness. Taste is malty with chocolate tones and a hint of coffee finishing with a light spicy bitterness. Mouthfeel is smooth, med body and carb and quite dry for a lager.

Not bad at all, a bit boring and a bit dry for me. Pleasant and smooth with light chocolate notes and perfectly hopped. No lager yeast smell or taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 02:57:24 | More by VaterRoss

socon67

New York

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours brown, with a bit of foam on top. Some lacing, and visibole carbonation.

S - Scents of caramel, fresh malt, and a spicy, earthy vibe.

T - Flavors are very well balanced. Pure sweet caramel, a malty taste that has a bit of spice at the end. Actually a very flavorful dunkel that is not sweet as much as it is hearty with fresh flavor.

M - Makes an awesome drinker. Smooth, full bodied, and very refeshing.

O - Glad to have tried something from Mother Earth. Solid showing of a less common style.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:34:11 | More by socon67

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours brown. Translucent in the light, but sits there ominously in the glass, begging you to just drink it.

Hm the smell. Not really sure what to make of it. The first thing that comes to mind is heavily roasted corn.

Now the taste is something of beauty. Its a different monster than German Munich Dunkels. It tastes earthy. Very earthy. Slight caramel notes. I can almost feel a woody bitterness that might be more from the hops than any wood.

A woody bitterness flashes across the tongue then disappears just as fast. Not as slick and sweet as the German incarnations, but still very good in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 02:36:38 | More by VncentLIFE

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Strong, malty aroma is slightly musky and has earthy, molasses and nutty notes. It pours a somewhat translucent sepia with a fairly thick, if not persistent, wheat-brown head that leaves considerable lacing. Rich flavor has a malty core and caramel, earthy, nutty and molasses notes. Firm-bodied texture is smooth yet rather tingly, leaving an earthy, woody finish. Eminently drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 05:18:40 | More by Cyberkedi

tdm168

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very deep amber bordering on dark brown. There's a quarter inch of off white head that has great retention. The nose has notes of sweet caramel and dark fruit. The taste is bitter and sweet. There are notes of caramel, dark fruit, toasted malt, toffee and a decent hop bitterness in the finish. This is a medium bodied, well carbonated, smooth beer.

This is a pretty solid, well rounded beer. For the style this is all around right.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:33:54 | More by tdm168

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 24 May 2011. Thanks to n2185 for the bottle.

Pours a deep coffee brown; light behind it brings out some reddish shades. About a half-finger of light tan head that fades pretty quickly, leaving decent lacing.

Smell hits heavy with slightly sweet biscuity malts. I don't get much beyond that, though. A bit of fruit around the edges (figs), with some noble hops hiding in the background.

Taste is better - fuller, richer, and more complex. It brings those malts, but they're more bready and fruity, without that strong toasted character that's in the nose. A bit of chocolate and toffee - nice sweetness and depth. There's a slight hop tingle that comes through late and balances things out quite well.

Mouthfeel: medium body, but feels full and chewy in the mouth. Carbonation is right where it should be - medium-high, enough to keep the flavors on the move but not so much that I can't taste them.

Quite a tasty beer. The toasted malts in the smell are a little funny, but everything else about it is solid. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 03:31:10 | More by zeledonia

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Rogue pint produces a clear dark tea brown brew with a 1/2" off white sandy colored head with nice weepy lacing sliding down the glass.

Very nice aromatic dark malts with a hint of hops in the background.

Very nice flavor on the tongue, malty and well balance, perhaps just a smidge on the lighter bodied side for this style, but still very drinkable brew in light of the medium carbination.

This is definately not a Warsteiner Premium Dunkle, but it is a great American representation of this style.

For me, this is a solid B+ Munich Dunkel. Keep on representing Tar Heel Brewers !!

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 17:23:45 | More by RedneckBeerz

soccerman7

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass

A - Very nice garnet color. A solid finger of head that gave way to a ring on the edge. Wonderful carbonation. Only drawback was a cloudy appearance.

S - Baked bread, sweet graham cookie. Herbal hop aroma on the tail end. Very nice and a touch different than I have had on the style.

T - First thing I noticed was the hops actually. A prickly herbal spice that gives way to graham cracker, honey, toasted bread. Slight earthiness.

M - Very good mouth feel and easy drinking. Slightly sharpness.

O - A very good beer that is worth grabbing. Wish it were available up here. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 16:56:36 | More by soccerman7

keytown

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark amber with a massive 4 finger tan head

S - Smells of malt & bread, slight spice & a hint of chocolate.

T - Tastes of roasted malts, toasted bread & subtle sweetness.
Slight bitter hoppy finish.

M - Medium body & carbination

O - Overall good beer. Great job Mother Earth Brewing on
recreating a Munich Dunkel Lager!

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 00:31:20 | More by keytown